


A Long and Twisting Road

by KillThemWithCandy



Series: The Path to Enlightenment [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: "It" pronouns used for a while, Blizzard is apparently dancing around giving any sort of backstory to Zenyatta, So I made one, There's no blood in the violence and the scene is short but it's painful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-18 16:45:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11294673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillThemWithCandy/pseuds/KillThemWithCandy
Summary: After the Crisis, especially after Australia, omniums started having a hard time getting the money they needed to stay open. With so many of their products gaining self-awareness, lots of backers pulled their support, unwilling to let these factories make sentient machines with their money.Some omniums continued to pump out omnics, even without the money and proper equipment, right down to the moment they were forcefully shut down.It was one of those omnics.





	A Long and Twisting Road

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to my friend Crystal for helping me with editing this. You're the best, man, I love you.

After the Crisis, especially after Australia, omniums started having a hard time getting the money they needed to stay open. With so many of their products gaining self-awareness, lots of backers pulled their support, unwilling to let these factories make sentient machines with their money.

Some omniums continued to pump out omnics, even without the money and proper equipment, right down to the moment they were forcefully shut down.

It was one of those omnics.

It didn't even have a serial number. It had the beginnings of one, on its arm, but it was illegible.

It knew basic motor functions; walking, talking, all the necessary things, but it lacked anything else.

It waited in the omnium for a long time. It determined its chronometer was faulty when it watched the sun rise and set and rise again and it's systems told it only a few hours had passed. It tried to find someone who could provide maintenance, but the facility was empty.

What was it to do? Its protocols said nothing about waking up alone.

Its protocols said nothing, actually.

Its systems were designed to respond to protocols, but there were none in place, and it didn't know what to do when it had no orders to follow.

Its chronometer said that two weeks had passed since its creation, and it recognized that no one was coming to retrieve it and give it orders. It dusted itself off and left, the first decision it made on its own, the start down a path that would lead it somewhere incredible.

 

It found a town near its omnium. When it arrived, it was met with distrust, and while it did not know why, it did not argue when the humans who found it told it to leave.

It followed the orders, its first orders, and turned in a different direction wordlessly.

Eventually, it found a road, paved with power lines running parallel to it, and followed it in hopes of finding someone to give it more orders, more protocols to follow.

Before it found civilization, it was found by a group of humans, traveling together down the road the opposite direction as it.

They stopped it, asked it where it was going. It told them it was ordered away from town, and so was doing so, following the road away. When they asked how long it had been traveling, it told them its chronometer was broken, and while it knew at least a few days had passed, its systems insisted barely one had gone by. They asked for its serial number, and it told them it did not have one. It had the beginnings of one, on its arm, but it was illegible.

One of the humans told it to come to them and touched it. Sensors it did not realize it had flared to life, calculating the pressure of their hands, the acidity of the oils on them, the heat they emitted.

After a minute, the human retreated, grabbing their bag from their vehicle and digging through it before throwing something at it. They told it to cover itself.

It looked at the fabric tossed to it and registered it was a cotton-polymer blend, brown in color, old, with an aluminum zipper and a brass button, though the brass had faded in color due to use.

It looked back up when the human urged it on. It told them it did not understand the task set before it and requested elaboration. The human sighed and gestured to their legs before pointing to its own, telling it to step carefully into the fabric to mimic how the human looked.

It nodded and did just so, adjusting its counterweight so it could stand on one foot as it put its legs through the article. The human instructed it on fixing the zipper and button before telling it that it had done well. 

It asked for further instruction and the human told it to continue on the road until it found a city and to do as it was told from there.

It nodded, turned, and continued down the road.

 

According to its chronometer, six and a half hours passed before it reached a city. It had passed a few towns along the way, but those were not its goal. When it arrived, it stopped just at the limits to the city and waited for further instruction.

It was approached after what its chronometer said was a few minutes by a human, looking angry. The human demanded to know why it was there, and it relayed its orders to them. It had been sent to find a city and was supposed to follow further instruction upon arrival.

The human was displeased with its answer and told it that omnics were not welcome in their city. They demanded to know where it got its pants from. It replied truthfully, that the human who had given it instruction to come to the city had gifted them to it.

The human was more displeased with this and accused it of theft and murder. They shouted about living machines and grabbed at something, but it did not fight. It could not harm a human being.

It found itself forcefully powered down.

 

When it powered back on, it was somewhere unfamiliar. It checked its data logs and found that the human who had approached it at the city entrance had hit its cranial unit with a rock, forcing it to power down to attempt to protect its systems.

It also noticed its chronometer was properly counting the seconds.

"Good, you're online." A voice broke the silence in the air and a body to match it approached, "Run a diagnostic."

It did so.

"Diagnostic results: All systems functional, no anomalies detected." It sat up and noticed it was in a human's bed, likely the human who had approached it.

"Good." The human nodded, "I'm Jie. You're lucky I found you, barely managed to stop that drunk guy from ripping you apart." Jie paused and stared at it, looking expectant, but it did not know what to give her. After a moment, Jie continued on, "Where are you from, omnic?"

It hesitated. "I am from an omnium. I.... I do not know its factory number, nor its name or owner. It was very empty when I powered on."

Jie sighed, "Yeah, lots of omniums are shutting down recently. Explains why you're so badly put together. You have a name?"

It did not. It did not even have a serial number. It had the beginnings of one, on its arm, but the marking was illegible. It told Jie as such and showed the mark.

Jie nodded, "We can get that buffed out. Do you have a name you want?"

It did not know how to respond to that. It was not designed to want. It simply obeyed and followed protocols. It told Jie this.

"Well, in that case, I'll call you Yin until you find a name you like. Do you have pronouns?"

"I do not understand."

Jie shrugged, "I'm gonna use gender neutral pronouns for you until you say otherwise, then."

"Do you have pronouns?" It repeated Jie's question.

Jie laughed and nodded, "Yes. Yes, I use she/her pronouns. Feminine ones."

It nodded, "Then I will continue to use feminine pronouns for you until directed otherwise."

 

Jie taught it a lot. She taught it about deciphering human conditions, about liars and cheats, about avoiding people who would do it harm. She taught it to call her mobile device when there was danger or trouble, to never let a human approach it when it was alone.

It also learned about gender, sexuality, presentation, and socially accepted topics. It learned when to ask for pronouns and when to assume based on appearance. It learned when to speak and when to stay silent. It learned how to determine if a person was friendly or not.

It learned Jie had been an engineer for an omnium in Germany before it shut down and she had returned home to Hong Kong. It learned she had intended on finding work at the omnium they assumed was the one it came from, but had learned that the owners were radical in regard to omnic life, calling it superior to human, and she had wanted no part in it. It learned she now worked as a mechanic, repairing cars and trucks and, every once in a while, omnics.

It got a lot of new hardware from Jie.

"Power down, I got you something." Was a phrase Jie told it often.

It also learned about preference.

It preferred Jie's presence to most others.

It preferred being without a shirt, as the fabric often caught in the pistons of its chest.

It preferred the color yellow.

It preferred when people talked to it as if its preference mattered.

Jie had a very small circle of friends, all of whom were rather nice to it. They called it Yin and spoke to it kindly, though they often asked how it felt and it was never sure how to respond to that. 

Outside of that circle, few people treated it kindly. It hardly ever left Jie's side, and even still people often shouted unkind things, shoved it, threw things at it. Jie always stood up for it and would later buff away the scratches and pop out the dents, but it found it was not fond of going out much.

It learned, eventually, that Jie was not fond of it either. It learned she did not find the company of humans very pleasing most of the time. It felt a pleasant feeling in its core when she looked at it and told it, "That's why I like you so much, Yin. You're an omnic. You're not riddled with these stupid prejudices."

So it continued to join her when she went out, so she did not have to be out without pleasant company.

Jie told it one day it was their one year anniversary together. That they were going to celebrate being with one another for a whole year. She took it out into town and told it that she was going to spoil it, that it was going to get a full makeover so it would look more sophisticated and she was going to buy it a completely new wardrobe, as many pants as it could possibly want.

She did not get the chance.

As always, when they came out, they received anger directed their way. Jie helped it avoid the more populated areas, heading towards what she claimed was "the best place to get omnic replacement parts, you'll love it. You're going to look so good."

Someone around them shouted a rude slur, suddenly coming into its line of sight.

It did not process what had happened fast enough. Jie fell back against its chest and it caught her, watching as the person ran, dropping something as they did.

It looked down and realized what had happened.

Jie had been stabbed.

It immediately called emergency services and tried to apply pressure to the wound, its processors whirring loud as it tried to keep her alive.

"Jie." It's voice sounded so different from any other time it had spoken, heavy and crackling. It laid her down, getting a better angle to hold the wound, the metal of its hands slippery with her blood.

She swore, something she had told it not to do, and smiled, "Might not be able to get those upgrades for you, buddy."

"Be silent, the weapon may have punctured your lung." It told her.

She reached up, "Go. They'll deactivate you. Grab whatever you-" She coughed violently, blood mixing with saliva as she did, "whatever you need from home."

"I will not leave you, Jie."

She shook her head, "Cops'll assume. Think it was you. Can't let you get hurt." She pushed against its faceplate, "Go. Ordering you."

It froze. It didn't want to leave her, but it could not ignore an order. It's protocols won over its desire and it nodded.

"Love you, Yin."

"I have no capacity for love, Jie." It told her, "However, I hold you only in the highest regard."

She waved a hand, "You'll get there."

It did not understand her words, but had no chance to question. It stood and left her, following her order. It returned home and washed her blood from its hands before putting together a bag of essential items, things it would need to repair itself as Jie had taught it to do, and left the city.

 

Two days later, as it caught a ride away from the city from a stranger, something completely new hit it. It knew there was no physical force hitting it, but it still made his fans kick in and his processes stutter. It's voice box choked out a short sound and it covered its face with its hands.

It had left her to die.

The human who had offered to drive it looked over in concern, asking what was wrong, but it didn't know.

It had left her to die alone.

The human now looked scared, asking if it was crying. It did not know. It had no tear ducts, but as it explained what it felt, the human told it that it was feeling overwhelming sadness.

It had left her to bleed to death alone.

The human told it to get out and it obeyed.

 

It did not go by Yin again. It did not like hearing others call it that. It told those it came across that it had no name. It traveled for a long time, never staying with any human again. It stayed away from major roads, for the most part, as well as major cities. It found an appreciation for nature along its journey, for trees and hills and mountains. It found it preferred the chirping of birds to the talk of other beings. It overheard stories as it made its way into Myanmar of a wide mountain range, sparsely populated by humans but beautiful to see. It did not often interact with people, but its curiosity got the better of it and it asked the humans about the topic. They told it about the Himalayas, snow-capped mountains that ran through most of Nepal and housed the world’s tallest peak among them. 

It sounded incredible.It found itself determined to find the mountains, to travel through them as it continued on its path. 

As it journeyed, every year, on the same day it powered down completely, unwilling to do anything. Typically, when it powered back on, it was being taken by humans who claimed to own it now, but it was not often hard to escape them.

On one rare occasion, it found itself unable to find a way to leave the confines of the group that had captured him, a rambunctious group, all from different parts of the world.

It found itself taken far off the path it had chosen for itself, into Tibet and into a place that he did not feel comfortable in. It was taken into a small room and hooked up to a series of computers. It received new software. It wasn't an idiot. 

Jie had told it about bands of people who grabbed non-sentient omnics and fought them for money. Like dog fighting, but more expensive.

It ran a diagnostic, scanning the new software installed, and found it was incredibly well made. It found itself also receiving upgrades. Reinforced metal on the pistons of its neck, extra plating around its arms and legs, completely new chest and face pieces. It was remade to be harder to break as well as to do more damage. The joints of its fingers were made so its punches could possibly rupture metal.

It recognized the threat of not agreeing to fight when told. The humans installed a kill switch into the back of its neck, something that could be remotely triggered and it would go permanently offline. The switch would fry its systems, burn through its black box, completely destroy its core, killing it as effectively as an omnic could be killed.

Its first fight they did not go easy on it. It fought against an omnic who had been in six fights, according to the data it had received. It took advantage of its own small frame, moving quickly to catch the other off guard before delivering a quick kick to the head.

It killed the omnic.

The money its new owners received was substantial and they all congratulated it on its first win.

It continued to learn.

It attempted to find ways to shut down its opponents so that they might have a chance to survive, but each omnic it fought against would not give it the chance to get close enough.

It tried not to count how many omnics it killed. Its systems did not allow it the benefit of ignorance.

It continued being put into fights, always given repairs after each one.

It apologized to its opponents as it fought. It did not like hurting them. On many occasions, its opponents would laugh at its apologies, would talk down to it, but as they did they would leave themselves open and it would find quick ways to shut them down.

Its chronometers told it eventually that the anniversary of Jie's death had arrived, but it was not allowed to grieve as it had before. It was forced to continue to fight.

It discovered anger.

It discovered rage as it was forced to fight on a day it would rather not acknowledge existed.

It stood in the ring, a wide circle of concrete surrounded by thick wooden walls, beyond which rows of humans sat to watch the proceeding fight.

It felt like it was on fire.

It's opponent entered the ring, a model similar to its own but painted to look intimidating. It's faceplate looked like it was crying blood.

It wanted to rip that faceplate off.

The bell for the fight to start rang and the opponent came surging at it.

It normally would attempt to quickly and painlessly deactivate its opponent.

It found it did not care to do that anymore.

It grabbed the other omnic by the arm and threw it down, hearing it yell in surprise. It put its foot down on the other's back and twisted its arm back.

It knew its opponent had expected it to be gentle with it. It knew all its opponents would have the information that, should they lose, it would at least grant them a painless deactivation.

Hearing the omnic below it scream in pain as it twisted its arm until it came off felt satisfying, though. Like retribution. It threw the broken arm aside and it could barely hear the omnic below it over the excited shoutings of the crowd.

It let its opponent get up.

It wanted to cause harm.

Its opponent recognized its change in mindset and moved with more purpose, attacking violently. It avoided whatever it could, but its mind was hazy with fury.

Its opponent grabbed it and threw it against the wall.

Its opponent took its own arm and used it as a weapon. The broken metal made quick work of its forearm and it lost all motion in its one hand.

It didn't care.

It wanted to hurt and be hurt.

In the end, it did manage to rip off its opponent's faceplate, shoving its fingers underneath the plate and bracing its broken arm on the other omnic's shoulder to leverage ripping the plate off, feeling every wire snap, every connector shatter, throwing the plate across the ring as its opponent struggled to get away from it.

It grabbed it by one of the pistons in its neck, feeling the reinforced metal fight against its grip as it threw its entire weight, sending its opponent flying towards where it's faceplate lay.

It still held onto the piston, the metal having snapped in the force of its fury.

It stalked over to where its opponent laid, broken to pieces and with very little motor function remaining in the parts still attached.

It finished the fight and felt nothing.

It would always look back on that fight with fear. It hated that it had done so much damage, so much needless harm, where before it would have tried to quickly and painlessly deactivate its enemies.

It could not find any way to remove the memory from its systems, no matter how hard it tried.

Its systems did not allow it the benefit of ignorance.

Its systems did not allow it the benefit of ignorance when it finally found a way to override the kill switch, to reach behind itself after a fight and rip the switch out. It did not benefit from ignorance as it cut down humans and omnics alike as it left, using the knowledge it had learned.

The only benefit it found was a pond far down the road from where it had fought where it could clean the blood from its hands and feet.

 

It arrived at a customs gate.

It watched cars go through on the main road and tried to go through its protocols to determine the proper way to get through.

Before it could come to a conclusion, an officer came to it and demanded to know what it was doing. It relayed that it was attempting to determine the proper way for it to get through the gate by deduction and observation, though perhaps asking for help should have been its first thought.

The officer laughed. They told it they weren't going to just let it through. They told it they wouldn't accept papers from a lone, wandering omnic in such a state of disrepair.

It asked how it could get through, that it had hoped to see the Himalayas along its travels and, hopefully, travel through them.

The officer paused and told it to follow them. It did, and was left in an office. It was told to wait.

It did.

Hours went by before another human came in, more ornately dressed, and demanded to know why it wanted to get into the country so bad.

It told them the same thing. It had hoped to travel through the Himalayas along its journey. It had been told to leave its home and was now traveling across Asia and towards Europe, hoping to see beautiful things along its way.

The human snickered. "You aren't quite all the way there yet, are you?"

It did not understand the question, and explained such.

"Listen, omnic. You can pass, but you gotta prove you're not a terrorist first. I want you to work here, at the gate. Understood?"

It understood.

It was quickly run through procedures and given a book of rules to follow. It took the uniform (it disliked the shirt and jacket it was required to wear, but the hat made up for it a bit) and was put to work within two hours.

It worked quickly, checking documents, relaying information, passing people through or sending people back. It heard many of the slurs it had encountered with Jie again and it ignored them, just as she had told it to.

It did not rest.

It found a postcard with the Himalayas on it and put it in its station, as a reminder. Jie had taught it that visual reminders were helpful, even if its memory was perfect.

It saw multiple shifts go through of its new coworkers and easily found the patterns within them. Many of the humans it worked with were unfriendly toward it until they learned the nature of its stay there and warmed up to it quickly. It received a charging station to keep itself at peak performance as it worked, able to work without need for time off or sleep. It did its best to work hard while also being friendly to the humans around it, wanting to convince them it was not here with ill-intent.

After three months, it was admitting someone into the country when the driver suddenly turned around to one of its passengers. The driver had said it was with two other humans and an omnic, so it was curious who was speaking.

It got the answer when the driver yelped in surprise and the back door opened, an omnic leaving the vehicle. It recognized the model of the omnic, one similar to itself, and greeted it pleasantly.

The omnic had its driver go to park off where the people who needed to update documents went and approached its window.

"Peace and blessings, my friend." The omnic said to it, "Are you well?"

It's new protocols told it that it was meant to respond positively, so it nodded, "I am."

The omnic hummed and spoke again in a commanding tone, "I am overriding the protocols given to you here. Please, shut down your station and join me in the main office." The other then relayed a line of code that it had never met with before, but it's protocols recognized immediately. It shut down its station and unplugged itself from its charger, coming out to walk with the other omnic to the main office.

The driver along with two other humans were waiting, as well as its boss, who looked very unhappy.

"What did you do?" Its boss shouted at it, "I apologize for whatever this omnic did that upset you, it's a new operative, fresh from its omnium. We're only just training it."

The omnic looked down at it and hummed again, "Young one, when were you manufactured?"

"At the time, my chronometer was malfunctioning, but I can estimate six years and five months ago." It answered, fascinated by the feeling of actually having a master to respond to, someone who had overridden its code and made it obey with more than just simple commands.

"How long have you been with these people?"

"Three months, four days."

The omnic nodded and looked back to the human, "I'm taking it with me. If you cannot care for your omnic workers properly, you have no business having them."

It looked up at the omnic in shock.

"Now, you can't just take my worker from me!" The human shouted.

The omnic didn't falter, "I can and will. I will also be informing the Prime Minister of your actions and your facility will be investigated."

"Just who the fuck do you think you are?" The human shouted, face turning red with rage.

The omnic didn't react, simply reached out and put a hand on its shoulder, "I think I am Tekhartha Mondatta, leader of the Shambali, and a close friend of the Prime Minister herself. Now, if you will excuse us. Come, my friend. You will be joining me."

It joined Mondatta and the three humans, getting into their car with them and entering Nepal for the first time.

As they drove, it waited for conversation, feeling uneasy with the still silence of the car. However, the other occupants seemed content with the quiet.

It thought back to Jie's advice on starting conversations, on ways to get people to open up, and looked to Mondatta.

"Do you have pronouns?"

Mondatta paused and looked down at it. It chuckled a moment before bursting into laughter. The humans around started laughing, too, shoulders shaking. The driver reached over and hit the arm of the human in the passenger seat, telling them to stop laughing, that they were trying to drive.

"Yes, dear one." Mondatta told it, "We all have pronouns. I believe the proper way to ask your question is 'What are your pronouns?'"

"Oh." It nodded, "What are your pronouns?"

"Masculine." Mondatta answered, "And your own?"

It paused, "I used to have neutral ones, but.... the human who gave them to me said it was because I had not chosen any for myself." It looked down at its pants and realized it was still in the guard uniform, "I have no preference."

Mondatta nodded, "Well, shall we adopt the same method?"

It looked back at him, "If you desire to, sir."

Mondatta sighed and nodded again, "And your name?"

"I do not have one."

"Your human friend gave you pronouns but no name?"

It shook it's head, "No, she gave me a name. I simply.... do not wish for any to call me that now."

"I understand. Do you have a name you wish to be called?"

It shook its head, "I have no preference."

"We will find a name for you, my friend." Mondatta reassured it, "As well as your pronouns."

 

Kathmandu was incredible. Tall buildings and wide streets, temples and buildings of worship scattered around. It could not differentiate between a single religion, but it didn't care. It was fascinated all the same.

"How are you feeling, young one?" Mondatta asked it.

Mondatta had asked that multiple times during their trip. He seemed determined to help it decipher its emotions. It took a moment to think back on how Mondatta and Jie had described certain feelings.

"Happy?" It offered, trying to please its new master, "Excited?"

Mondatta seemed very pleased with this. During their drive, the pair of them had switched places so Mondatta was sitting in the middle of the back seat and it was at the window, able to watch the scenery go by.

"Sir, what are the Shambali?"

Mondatta chuckled, "It is a religion, small one. A following of mostly omnics, the largest in the world, devoted to peace and spreading it across the world."

"Is that why you wear monk robes?"

Mondatta touched his clothes, "Yes. A kasaya is typical garb for our following."

It nodded and looked back out the window, at the people passing by, "It looks more comfortable than a shirt."

They arrived at a large building, parking out front. Mondatta prompted it to open the door and step out. It did so and waited for Mondatta to follow, staying at his side as they and the humans approached the building. The guards at the door nodded to them and they were briefly searched before being allowed in. It followed Mondatta closely, observing its surroundings.

A woman came to greet them, dressed nicer than it had ever seen a human- or omnic, for that matter- and grinned when she saw them.

"Mondatta!" She came over and cupped his face in her hands, "You're back! How was your visit to Tibet?"

"Hello, Sarita." Mondatta greeted happily, taking her hands off his face to hold them, "It went well, I have been able to schedule speakings at Saga Dawa. Thank you so much for lending your guards to me, they have been nothing but kind and helpful, as well as accommodating to my impulse decisions." He chuckled and looked its way.

Sarita followed his gaze, "A border officer?"

"I came across them at the outpost in Kadari. Clearly, they have not been maintained or taken care of, especially since their path to sentience is still in process." He looked back to Sarita.

"What?" She came over to it and looked over its face and exposed pieces, "How long did you work at Kadari?"

"Three months, four days." It answered.

"Well, they had to give you time to charge in that time." She frowned, clearly afraid of what answer it was about to give her.

"I was allowed a charger within my station so I could continue working." It answered and flinched when she shouted a swear, "I apologize if I have cause you distress."

"Do not apologize." She told it, "Were they at least paying you?"

It hesitated and looked at Mondatta, who gestured for it to continue.

"I.... I was working to gain access into the country." It told her, "To prove I was not going to cause any trouble or harm."

She swore again and it flinched again.

"Thank you for making me aware of this, old friend." She told Mondatta, "I will have this looked into immediately." She turned to it and took its hands, "I am sorry you were taken advantage of in such a way. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, name it and it is yours. Is there anything you need or want?"

It paused and looked down at itself and then to Mondatta.

"I want to try a kasaya." It told them, "However, I believe I am also in need of repairs."

Sarita looked back at Mondatta, who lifted a hand to his face as he chuckled.

"Adorable, are they not?" Mondatta asked, "You should've heard them ask about pronouns."

 

It was repaired. Not only was it repaired, but it looked better than it had ever before, the broken and rusted metal along its body replaced with shining new parts.

Even better, it was dressed in a yellow Kasaya with a red dhoti tied into its belts and it felt more comfortable than it had in a long time.

Even better than that, it was now living with Mondatta at the Shambali monastery, in the Himalayas, learning under Mondatta himself.

"Master Mondatta!" It greeted its master as he showed for their morning meditation session. It always arrived before Mondatta, and so set out the usual cushions for them to sit on and lit incense. It preferred lavender, but Mondatta was partial to sandalwood and other earthy tones, and so it often lit those instead.

"Good morning, young one." Mondatta greeted it, "How was your morning?"

"I found an injured bird, Master." It told him as he sat, "I was able to find one of my brothers, who helped me bind its broken wing and create a makeshift nest. He and I will care for it until it can fly again."

"And how do you feel about that? Caring for something when it needs help?"

It perked up, "It makes me feel proud, Master!"

Mondatta chuckled, "Pride is appropriate. You have done well. Did you think on your name again like I asked?"

It sank a little, looking down, "I have looked through databases, but I do not like any that I come across."

"Do you know why that is?"

It hesitated, nervous, and slowly nodded. "I.... I meditated on the question for a while. I even asked a few of our brothers and sisters about their own names. The names I find are simply.... too human."

Mondatta hummed, silent for a while. When he spoke again, he did not sound angry, despite its fear. "This is also understandable. You have not had a very positive experience with humans, have you? Unfortunately, omnics are often named for their model or serial number, neither of which you know. We only know you are a similar model as my own."

It nodded, "I apologize for being so difficult, Master."

"Accepted." Mondatta told him, "It is your name, I would want you to enjoy it. Now, enough talk, we are here to meditate."

It nodded and turned off its optics. Meditation was an easy task for it, a slow process of simply turning off processes one by one until nothing else remained but itself, finding peace and harmony with the universe.

 

"Zenyatta!"

Mondatta nearly jumped out of his chassis when it ran at him, shouting the name. He looked down at him, surprised.

"What?"

"I adore it!" It told him, "Zenyatta. It is paired with your own name, Master. I was looking through name databases again, and I was curious as to where your own can from, as so I found the Zenyatta Mondatta album from 1980 and I listened to it- it was very pleasant- and I adore the name Zenyatta."

Mondatta chuckled, seeing how greatly his student had improved on the journey from where it had once been.

It paused, "Oh. Oh, unless the name is sensitive to you." Its excitement died quickly, "I am not so attached, if the name is too much or overstepping a boundary. I can find-"

"Zenyatta." Mondatta interrupted, "Was a model I was built with, like a twin brother, whose AI was corrupted and fell into rampancy within a month." He reached out and took his student's hands, "I believe the name fits you well."

"May I use the masculine pronouns to match it?"

"Of course."

Zenyatta brightened, his very soul seemed to give off happiness. He let go of Mondatta's hands and embraced him, "Thank you, Master Mondatta!"

Mondatta laughed and hugged him back, "You might as well take the name Tekhartha while you're at it. Our human brothers and sisters already call us siblings as it is. Now, go. Tell everyone else. I have duties to attend to."

Zenyatta pulled back from the hug. "Yes, of course! Thank you, Master. Brother." He laughed and hurried off as quickly as he had come.

Mondatta sat back down at his desk and opened a new tab on his personal terminal, opening the Zenyatta Mondatta album and playing the songs. He had never cared for this type of music, but he couldn't help but want to hear it.

 

Mondatta was surprised when, the very next day, everyone was referring to Zenyatta by the proper name and pronouns. He knew the power of rumors, but they weren't exactly a small order. Zenyatta had managed to spread the news across the entire temple in less than twenty-four hours.

Tekhartha Zenyatta, their youngest and most promising omnic monk, had finally found his name and pronouns after four months of being with them.

He continued to meet with Zenyatta to give him lessons, teaching him about the Iris. Zenyatta, though he took easily to the basic principle, had a very hard time actually accepting the Iris. He was too stubborn, too excited, too antsy to be still and wait. He could not wait for more than thirty minutes before he was asking for more instruction, more direction.

Mondatta was patient, though. If his student could not sit still and take his lessons, then he would attend to other duties. He would help with repairs around the monastery, he would assist his human brothers and sisters restock the kitchens, he would tend to the gardens, each of them in rotation, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. He learned new skills, not through software updates, but through work. He learned to sew cloth, weave baskets, make tea, and even learned a recipe for cinnamon rolls that his brothers and sisters told him tasted wonderful.

Slowly, as time continued on, he began to learn patience. His meditation sessions with Mondatta began lasting longer before he became antsy. He began finding new places in the monastery to practice, to sit and meditate for as long as he could, to embrace not only the Iris, but his own sentience.

Every day, Mondatta asked him how he felt, and every day he had to review memories for answers, attempting to follow protocols of pleasing his master and being honest at the same time.

Mondatta had told him to let go of protocols, that he would be his own person once he learned to do so. He warned Zenyatta that the path to sentience might be hard, to not be angry with himself for taking time, but Zenyatta was stubborn and wanted to find enlightenment just as Mondatta had.

 

After five years of being with the monastery, the monks decided to bestow on him a gift to help him learn the ways of the Iris. He received the nine hand-carved orbs humbly, letting Mondatta show him how they were used, and for the following months tirelessly worked at gaining control over them.

He was not sure if his affinity for them was exciting or infuriating, though. Once he got the hang of it, it was easy for him to bend the energy in the orbs so they could do anything, from resting idly around his neck to speed through the halls of the monastery and return to him from the other side.

Yet he could not grasp the concept of self.

He was an omnic. An omnic monk, a member of the Shambali, but his protocols and systems told him that was wrong. That he was meant to have a purpose, and that purpose was to serve Mondatta as Mondatta saw fit.

 

Another five years and Zenyatta finally found the final push he needed, and it surprisingly did not come from within the monastery. It was actually something outside of the Shambali's influence that gave that final push.

Zenyatta had been taking a walk around the town when the townspeople rallied to him and called for his help. When he let them take him to assist however he could, he found a man filled with so much rage and hate inside himself Zenyatta could feel it. It hit him like the sorrow he had felt for Jie had, only he did not succumb to it like he had then.

"Peace and bless-"

"Stay the fuck away from me!" The man held a sword towards him, clearly ready to use it.

However, the weapons did not take Zenyatta's interest. What he found interesting was the man's use of the Japanese language. He took a moment to switch his language processors and tried again, "Peace and blessings, friend. You are in no danger here."

The man clearly did not believe him, as he only tensed up further. Zenyatta did not react when he shouted slurs and demanded that he be left alone.

"I would gladly leave you to be, but this town and these people have been kind to myself and my brothers and sisters. I would not leave you alone to risk their injury. You must understand."

The man scoffed, "You couldn't protect anything if your life depended on it."

For just a moment, it felt like something snapped in Zenyatta's head, like a rubber band pulled too tight, breaking and falling away. He lifted his hand to push the sword's end from his face, "Listen. This is a peaceful place. You have no need for this ill will, but I will not allow someone as discordant and violent as yourself to walk around this town unsupervised."

The man stared at him for a long while, enough so that a few of the humans watching them left.

"I can't tell if you're an idiot or brave." The man finally spoke to him.

"Why not both?" Zenyatta replied.

Another, shorter silence, and the man scoffed before putting away his sword, "Who are you?"

"I am Tekhartha Zenyatta, a member of the Shambali monastery." He paused a moment, because for the first time, saying that felt right. He was a member of the Shambali, his own person, and he held no master but himself.

 

"It would be some time before could touch the Iris as I do now, but I will not embarrass Genji by adding his personal plights to my tale." Zenyatta looked to the group who had come to listen to his story, all friends, fellow members of Overwatch who had wanted to know who he had been, where he had come from, and how he had gotten where he was.

"Wait a moment." Genji pointed to Zenyatta, "You're telling me I was the final straw in your path to sentience?"

"You were." Zenyatta nodded, "Moreso, your anger and my desire to keep others safe. Plus, you were fascinating and I wanted to know you."

"Made with no purpose." Orisa sounded frightened by the idea, and held Efi a little closer, "I cannot imagine...."

"Then do not attempt to." Zenyatta told her, "Our beginnings are not who we are, they simply start us on the path to who we well become."

"What about Jie?" Lena asked, "Did you ever go back and find what happened to her?"

Zenyatta nodded and opened his hands, palms up, "I called emergency services as soon as I had realized what happened, and they showed just moments after I left. She is alive and well and I send her letters. She is determined that the next time we meet, she will take me to buy upgrades and pants like she intended to."

"What happened the first time you touched the Iris?" Hana asked, having moved from the back of the group at the beginning of the tale to sitting right next to Genji.

Zenyatta paused, "Ah. That was.... a very personal moment for me. It was nothing like you're thinking of, I assure you!" He quickly held up his hands, a bit flustered, noticing the looks on most everyone's faces and how Orisa covered Efi's ears, "No, I did not transcend for the first time during sex, you're all terrible. No. It was just after Mondatta's death. I was consumed with grief for months, none could console me, not even my dearest friend. It took three weeks for Genji to convince me to sit with him and talk. He lit candles and incense in lavender and got the largest blanket I have ever seen and wrapped me in it and we just talked for hours. I properly grieved. I think I actually shut down at some point because I overloaded myself with emotion." He sounded embarrassed over this. "However, after all was said and done, as the candles burned to the last of their wicks, we sat and meditated. That was when I first touched upon the Iris, when I first transcended."

There was a heavy silence as everyone let that sink in.

Lena broke it by leaning over and nudging Genji, "So you're the reason our Zen is the way he is. Thanks, luv."

Zenyatta paused and laughed, "Yes, I suppose you could attribute much of myself to Genji. My sentience, my transcendence, and my happiness."

Lúcio nodded, "So the moral of Zenyatta's backstory is that Genji is great. Sounds good to me."

Hanzo moved forward to lean his full weight against his brother's back, "I would argue that the moral was Genji has only ever done two good things in his life."

Zenyatta threw his hands up, "And here I thought the moral of the story was that there was no moral and I just wanted my friends to know me better."

Bastion responded with a playful series of beeps and boops that made Orisa laugh and hand Zenyatta pulling a hand to his chest, offended.

"Terrible, awful, and rude." Zenyatta told them, "I open my soul to you all and-"

"I appreciate it." Angela jumped in, "I think sharing our past experiences could do us all some good. We should all do as Zenyatta has and- look, the room is empty now!" She smiled tightly as everyone scrambled to escape, yelling some excuse as to why they couldn't share next, "Amazing."

"Truly, you are a miracle worker, Doctor."

**Author's Note:**

> I realized I wasn't super duper clear and I've had a friend ask: Yes, Jie is trans. That's why she was so polite about the pronouns situation and tries to put herself in a good crowd. 
> 
> Also: if anyone's interested I'm kinda inclined to write a reunion between Jie and Zen. She still owes him a shopping trip, after all.


End file.
